Paint the walls. Painting over wood is not only wrong in my opinion, but it takes a low maintence item and turns it into high upkeep as you will have to keep repainting every few years.

Paint the walls, frame out the mirror, and add some cabinet hardware. Those small changes will make a big impact.

You can buy kits to frame out the mirror. They're really simple but they take away the builder grade look.

I wouldn’t paint over cherry or mahogany, but, as you say, your cabinets are dated builder grade, not fine wood. Painting them white, if done properly, could help you achieve the coastal look you want.

Paint the walls, change out the light fixture and your bathroom will look really nice.

We used seashell shaped cabinet pulls and a scallop shaped sconce in the toilet area. I think you lose needed cabinet space by using for display.

I say paint the cabinets and add hardware. Adding a frame to the mirror would be a big impact too.

White. Mine were knotty pine ( as everything was in my house *sigh*) so painting was really the best route.

And in case you don’t already know this : PREP IS EVERYTHING. Take the time and spend the effort to do it right. It’s a waste of time and money to do otherwise.

If your bf has a painting company, where's the hesitation? Paint those builder-grade cabinets! It's a much smaller job than a full kitchen, and it sounds like you'd have some professional help. The cabinets take up a lot of visual space in this small room, so changing the look of them will give you the most bang for your buck.

Think about replacing the vanity if you don’t like it. Box store vanities are not that expensive. Be sure you don’t have to replace floor tile though.

White is fine, but nicer wood can be attractive too.

Paint the cabinets is my opinion because I don't like oak cabinets.

The floor is throwing me off. I’d start there. Find paint colors that look good with the floor. The white tile and fixtures are more forgiving.

Since they're builder grade and you have access to professional painting, paint the cabinets white and the walls in the sea glass color. This will give you the most versatility for redecorating in the future (repainting walls is a lot easier than repainting cabinets).

Don't do weathered on the cabinets - that would lock you into a particular decor. White is classic.

If you don't need it for storage, I'd remove the cabinet over the toilet - it's very heavy for the space. Then, I'd paint the walls white (make sure it looks good with your vanity top), and add color through accessories.

I like white cabinets with a sea green wall, scattered decor in the sandy/pastel shades of the beach. Navy is really only "nautical" in the sense of being in uniforms, not in the natural beach world. If you want to go with navy blue and anchors and brass, that is a totally different look than the pastel/sandy/beachy look.

My vote is to paint the vanity cabinet. We painted a low-grade builder cabinet years ago. It lived through two boys and looked perfectly fine the day we removed it for a total remodel. I would replace the cabinet over the toilet with something slimmer. Even with the door off, it's too deep.

Sounds good! Post a before and after - always nice to see the visual impact!

I just did the EXACT same project in my guest bath. Painted the vanity white, the walls seafoam green, ripped out an ugly cabinet & purchased the frame for the mirror (haven't put it up yet). This is the only pic I have handy to share, it was time consuming, but easy... i should've done it years ago. My advice is buy the BEST brushes/roller/tape your hardware store sells. Good luck!

Looking forward to seeing the final product!